William Thompson White’s great-granddaughter made an exciting find while cleaning out the barn behind his former home.
NC WWI Service Card
William Thompson White, or “Son” was previously introduced in a WWI Profile as one of the first two men from Brunswick County sent to France.
Recently, his great-granddaughter, Kelly Prestipino, contacted the Friends of Fort Caswell Rifle Range to share some fascinating news.
“Son was my great-grandfather and I grew up in his house. Kenneth Welch White was my grandfather and Kenneth Dale White was my dad. After my dad passed away, I cleaned out the barn behind the house and found a really old trunk. These were in it.” ~Kelly
Wow, what an amazing story!
The identification tags (“dog tags”) have his Army serial number, which matches his NC WWI Service Card. They also indicate his rank (Pvt – although he would ultimately hold the rank of Corporal), Division (1 Div), and company (Co. B M.S.T: Company B, Motor Supply Train).
The medal is the WWI Victory Medal, and each clasp identifies a battle he participated in.
Recall from Corp White’s WWI Profile that the First Division (“The Big Red One”) was the first to arrive in France and the first in battle. The Somme Defensive [sawm] clasp on his medal shows his participation. This is followed by Aisne-Marne [eyn-marn], St. Mihiel [san-mee-yel], Meuse-Argonne [myooz-ar-gawn], and the Defensive Sector.
Previously, Edward David Redwine and Doris F. Redwine, the family of Brunswick County WWI veteran Pvt David Bertram Frink, sent photos of Pvt Frink’s medals. They can be viewed on this post.
Corporal “Son” White should have also received the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal as shown on Pvt Frink’s post.
Another great find is this photo of Corporal White. This will be added to his WWI Profile, which previously included a very grainy newspaper photo.
Kelly also sent a copy of this photo of Son. As he served in the Motor Supply Train, it is especially exciting to have a photo of him behind the wheel of what must be a Liberty Truck.
The Liberty Truck was designed soon after the US entered WWI. Over 9,000 were produced and sent to France. Assembly contracts were awarded to 15 companies located from New York to Illinois.
There are several surviving trucks in existence today, including this restored one in the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, OH.
Thank you, Kelly, for sending photos of these priceless artifacts!
Anyone having photos of their ancestor’s WWI medals, artifacts, ancestor in uniform, or anything else of interest, please send them and we will post them on the website.
To view this or an earlier profile or snapshot at any time, click on the veteran’s name on the WWI Brunswick County Veteran list, which is also accessible by the blue button on the top right of the webpage.
If you would like to help us honor William Thompson White or another Brunswick County WWI veteran, please use the following links:
Click here for the announcement:
Announcement: Honor a Brunswick County World War I Veteran
Click here for directions to donate and honor a veteran:
How to Honor a Brunswick County World War I Veteran
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